


Public Relations

by Rednight_Hunter



Series: Life Lessons [4]
Category: DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Banter, Can be read as stand alone, Domestic Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Humor, M/M, Paparazzi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 09:40:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17118932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rednight_Hunter/pseuds/Rednight_Hunter
Summary: Tim was so caught up in loading food onto the self-serve register that he almost missed his picture on the front of the gossip magazine.It still surprised him a little to see Jason on the cover with him, however.





	Public Relations

**Author's Note:**

> Hey :) I'm (finally) back with another fic- which can be read as a stand alone if you haven't read the rest of the series, although I'd still go back and read it anyway ;)
> 
> Enjoy!

Tim was so caught up in loading food onto the self-serve register that he almost missed his picture on the front of the gossip magazine.

 

It was only as he was scanning through a box of breakfast cereal that his own face caught the corner of his eye, and Tim leaned forward, looking at interest at the cover. Because even though he was no stranger to seeing himself front and centre in the Gotham media coverage, he still got a small curious kick out of it. It was always interesting, to see what the people of Gotham thought his life was like, and if any reporters ever actually got something right. Of course, Bruce would tell them that it was always important to keep an eye on media coverage to survey if their identities were ever in question, but Tim was fairly confident that he was safe in that regard.

 

It still surprised him a little to see Jason on the cover with him, however.

 

Granted, Tim didn’t recognise that it was in fact Jason for a little while, being that the secondary picture of the two of them kissing had been taken from further away, and from the side. While the image of himself at a charity event was plastered over the front to gather attention (which had obviously worked in Tim’s case), the small bubble to the side that held the shot of him and Jason making out on Tim’s balcony was what his eyes then fell to. And so, he found himself only briefly eyeing the title of “Tim Wayne’s secret boytoy discovered??” before he was scanning the magazine through the register.

 

Feeling thankful that he’d chosen the self-serve register to purchase his groceries with (and having to buy your own groceries was a real downside of living away from the Manor, Tim realised), Tim readjusted the cap and sunglasses on his head, hoping that he wouldn’t be recognised as he left the store. While a lot of the time he didn’t mind the paparazzi, right now he really wasn’t in the mood, especially given that he was apparently back in the forefront of the gossip mags.

 

And yeah, he should be a little peeved that he and Jason had been clumsy enough to be caught on his balcony, but really, Tim was just glad it wasn’t another sextape.

 

***

 

“Fuck off, _you_ did not seduce _me_!”

 

Tim glanced up from his place at the dining table, work papers strewn around him, to see Jason lying back on the sofa, gossip magazine in hand. Wearing only a tight pair of boxers (which Tim appreciated very much, to say the least) the other man had been flicking through the magazine for the past several minutes while Tim had worked. Until now, he had mostly been silent as he read the column, but now Jason’s eyebrows were furrowing in a totally not-adorable way as he childishly threw the magazine onto the coffee table.

 

Sighing, Tim put down his pen. “You do realise that everything in there is complete shit, right? They don’t know who you are, let alone how we met.”

 

“Still,” Jason retorted, crossing his arms and pouting over-dramatically, “I don’t want my public image to be tarnished if I’m going to be…” he paused, glancing over to re-read the title “… your hunky sugar baby.”

 

“It does _not_ say that. I’m younger than you!”

 

Jason shrugged before getting up to go to the fridge. As he walked, Tim couldn’t help but check out his ass, which was perfectly framed by the tight black cotton of his boxers. Jason was right, after all, in that he had been the one to initiate their ‘fuck sessions’, as it used to be before a friendship had grown out of them. And looking back on how awkward and heated their exchanged used to be, it made Tim’s heart flutter a little to see them so comfortable around each other now. They spent most nights together, and Jason regularly hung around his apartment during the day, plodding around like he was now, helping himself to Tim’s food and dozing on the couch. Not that Tim minded in the least, if anything he appreciated the extra company while he worked.

 

As Jason took a beer out from the fridge and opened it, Tim focused back on his work for Wayne Ent. It was important that he got through the contracts by that day, and reflecting on the domesticity of his and Jason’s… friendship was not going to help him finish.

 

He only got to work in peace for another ten minutes or so before there were hands on his shoulders, massaging him through his shirt. Despite himself, Tim lent back into the touch, and then Jason was leaning down to nip at his ear.

 

“Jason,” Tim groaned, before reluctantly pulling away. “I have work to do.”

 

“Do it later,” was all Jason said as his hands ran down Tim’s front to rub over his chest. And fuck, Tim could already feel his cock hardening in his pants as Jason pinched one of his nipples through the shirt. He could feel the man’s hot breath against his neck, the heady mix of Jason’s scent and the beer making Tim swoon slightly. God, everything about Jason was intoxicating, and he obviously knew it as the hands roamed further down Tim’s body and towards his-

 

Tim jolted away, because he really fucking needed to finish those contracts. They had been sitting on his table for almost a week now, and Tam was breathing down his neck to get them done. And he knew that if he indulged Jason, then they would likely spend the rest of the afternoon fucking, drinking and playing video games before patrol. And then Tam would likely castrate him the next day, which was something he wanted to avoid if possible.

 

Jason huffed. “But I’m bored,” he protested, sounding more and more childish by the second.

 

“Good to know I’m only a way to pass the time.” As he readjusted his glasses, Tim turned to face Jason. “You could get a job, you know. Something to do other than shooting people’s kneecaps out?”

 

“Why get a job when I have my own sugar daddy?” Jason shot back, a wide grin on his face as he flexed his biceps. Tim shook his head, having heard the joke from the other man before, and went to return to his work. But then Jason was moving around to his front, and pushing the chair back from the table so that he could step over Tim’s legs. As he settled onto Tim’s lap, Jason lent forward so that he was only inches from Tim’s face.

 

Sighing, Tim tried to get him off. “Jason, fuck off.”

 

Jason’s only reply was to start gyrating his hips, his nearly naked body all over Tim’s as he moved. Tim tried not to groan, but could already feel himself hardening even more under Jason’s touch. Jason’s own cock was also rock hard and tenting in his boxers, but he didn’t seem to pay it any mind as he continued to drag his hips back and forth, his barely clothed ass rubbing over Tim’s length.

 

As Jason’s eyes locked onto Tim’s, he spoke again.

 

“Choke me daddy.”

 

And just like that, the spell was broken, and Tim was snorting into Jason’s shoulder. When he pulled back, Jason’s own grin was wide, and his eyes were twinkling.

 

“I couldn’t resist,” Jason laughed as he lent down to peck at Tim’s neck, his hands moving to the bottom of Tim’s shirt.

 

Tim just hummed softly. “You’re a little shit.”

 

But his resolve had crumbled, and Jason knew that as he stepped off Tim, before pulling him to his feet. Tim took only a second to remove his glasses before they were kissing, Jason being direct from the beginning and breaching his tongue into Tim’s mouth. The taste of the other man was inebriating, and Tim used the opportunity to dip his hand under the waistband of Jason’s boxers, fingers dipping between his cheeks. Tim moaned into the kiss when his index fingers slipped right into Jason, his hole already loose and wet.

 

And that fact alone meant that Jason had obviously planned to distract Tim. Pulling back, Tim arched an eyebrow in question at Jason, who just shrugged.

 

“Gotta keep daddy happy.”

 

Tim only punched Jason hard in the chest before biting down hard on his shoulder, making the man’s already loud cackle spike in surprise.

 

***

 

Everything with the media came to a head in the Gotham Merchant’s Bank, of all places.

 

Tim had been innocently minding his own business, taking a trip down with his lawyer to assess the Wayne family funds (and really, fuck Bruce for palming all the boring shit that he couldn’t be bothered dealing with to Tim), when suddenly there had been shouting from the main room. Upon exiting the head banker’s office, Tim was greeted with the sight of men wearing Two-Face masks holding the other occupants at gunpoint, with the one who seemed to be in charge announcing what needed to happen. As Tim listened to what the head thug was saying, he groaned, because of course Two-Face was robbing _two_ banks at once.

 

Making sure that the lawyer and bank manager were too busy panicking to listen in on him, he activated the Bluetooth comm in his ear, dialling Bruce’s number.

 

“Tim?” Bruce answered, because he had called on his civilian line.

 

“Two-Face is holding up the Merchant and Royal banks, both at the same time. There are civilian hostages present.”

 

Bruce’s reply was immediate. “I’m patching you through to the rest of the family.”

 

One by one, Dick, Damian and Steph were all connected, and Tim calmly gave them the same information he’d given Bruce. All the while, he watched as one thug pointed his gun at a weeping lady, yelling for her to hand over her jewellery. Tim gritted his teeth, because as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t step in. It was bad enough that he’d been the subject of a recent media scandal alongside Jason, but to be caught fighting off armed men? It would mean the end for Bruce’s mission, once the dots were connected by the press.

 

He finished up speaking, glancing around the room once more. “Two-Face isn’t at the Merchant’s bank, meaning he’s likely headed to the Gotham Royale.”

 

“I’m in Bludhaven, so I won’t get there in time,” Dick chimed in. “I’ll make sure to stay on comms for support.”

 

And Bruce was already giving out orders, not hesitating for a second as he constructed a plan. “We need to focus attention on Dent. He’s volatile at best, and the civilians at Gotham Royale are in the most danger.”

 

“Already on it,” Steph replied. “I’m only a block away, and it shouldn’t take me too long to suit up.”

 

“Stall Dent for as long as you can, Spoiler,” Bruce ordered, already sounding like he was on the move. “Robin and I will back you up when we arrive. Red Robin, I need you to-”

 

Tim cut him off, because he could already see where Bruce was headed. “That’s the thing,” he started, all the while carefully making sure he hadn’t been spotted by the thugs. “I’m actually _in_ the bank. As Tim Drake.”

 

“What!” Steph shouted.

 

“Why didn’t you say so earlier, Drake? You’re an absolute moron,” Damian chided, but Tim didn’t detect any actual aggression in his tone.

 

Tim sighed. “I thought you realised when I called you on my civilian line. I’m here for the Wayne assets, remember Bruce?”

 

“Are you in danger?” Was Bruce’s only reply.

 

He went to assure Bruce, but then a thug was glancing his way, and Tim ducked down for cover behind a desk. He couldn’t be sure that he hadn’t been spotted, but he still whispered back to the comms. “I’m good for now, I think, but someone’s going to have to head over here for the civilians anyway.”

 

“I’ll reroute Spoiler to your location, just-”

 

“Don’t worry Daddy Bats. I’m on it.”

 

Tim only had a second to be surprised, because that was fucking Jason on the comms. But then he was being grabbed by the shoulders, and he yelped in surprise as one of Two-Face’s men flung him over the top of the counter. His head collided hard with the marble ground, and Tim’s vision swam for a few seconds, barely having a chance to gain his bearings before he was being hauled up once again.

 

“Lookie what I found,” the random thug jeered close to his ear. “One of them rich folk hiding away from all the fun.”

 

Only one of the other robbers laughed, but all eyes were on him as the thug hurled him forward again, so that Tim hit the floor hard again, and then he was at the feet of the head thug. He breathed deeply, hearing Steph and Dick asking over the comms if he was okay, all the while knowing he couldn’t reply out loud. Not right now, at least.

 

The criminal in front of him crouched down, so that he was closer to Tim’s face. “I think we have ourselves a winner, boys. He’s one of Wayne’s little shits.”

 

And then a fist was colliding with Tim’s chin, and he recoiled back in shock. The henchman cackled loudly and one of the nearby hostages gasped in horror.

 

“Not the face,” Tim groaned as he rubbed his aching jaw, because that was what Tim Drake, playboy son of Bruce Wayne, would be expected to say. “Please.”

 

That just made the man in front of him laugh even harder. “You hear that? He don’t want his pretty boy face damaged. Gotta save that for the cameras.” And then the thug paused, although Tim couldn’t see his face behind the mask. “Wait a minute. Isn’t he the one that recently became a pornstar?”

 

Tim huffed, because really? Of all times, now the sextape was being brought up again? He couldn’t help but grin at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. But he needed to buy time for Jason, or anyone really, to arrive, so he nodded, sheepishly.

 

“I wouldn’t call myself a pro, but I like to dabble.”

 

It was the type of joking reply he usually gave a reporter, in an effort to defuse the tension of the subject. Right now, it only had the robbers laughing louder, with the lead criminal even lowering his gun from Tim’s head.

 

“Hey, Tommy,” he shouted, looking towards one of the other thugs. “Ain’t you gay? Wanna take him for a spin?”

 

The men jeered again, and Tim rolled his eyes. The thug in question, the one who had laughed earlier, just flipped the leader off, before moving to grab another civilian and demand their valuables.

 

Thankfully, Tim spotted movement in the upper left corner of the building, and a quick flash of red let him know that Jason had arrived. The first thug went down pretty quickly, groaning as the butt of a knife collided with his head, and Tim sighed in relief, because at least Jason wasn’t in the killing mood today. As the man crumpled to the floor, a second quickly followed, and one by one the robbers began to panic around him.

 

As the head thug started shouting orders and began to move away from him, Tim slipped away to duck under another desk. The hostages were screaming all around him, and he used that to his advantage, knowing that no one would be focusing on him.

 

Seeing one thug disappear around a corner and into a hallway, Tim activated his comm again. “There’s a lone man heading down the east wing, Hood.”

 

“On it,” was all Jason said in reply, and Tim watched him grapples across the room, still unseen by Two-Face’s men as he stuck to the aged gargoyles.

 

Jason worked like a predator, taking each of the men down one by one, with a new thug disappearing the moment they separated from the herd. It was almost entertaining to watch, but Tim kept a straight face and focused on his role of directing Jason around the room via the comms. He wished he was up there with the other man, grappling and gliding around the room, slowly sending Two-Face’s men into a state of complete terror. Here, as Tim Drake Wayne, he felt so fucking exposed, vulnerable and useless all at the same time.

 

As Two-Face’s men were progressively whittled down by the Red Hood, Tim made his way over to where some of the hostages were. One woman was shielding her younger daughter, the both of them crying and screaming hysterically as the gunshots rang out around them. It made Tim’s heart break a little, seeing people that were so damn innocent being subjected to this, so he got down on one knee in front of them.

 

The woman flinched and looked at him, her eyes wide and watery. Giving her his best winning smile, Tim put a hand on her shoulder. “Everything’s going to be okay, I promise. Nothing will happen to you or your daughter.”

 

But then a hand was on _his_ shoulder, and before Tim could react he was being flung across the floor. He recovered quickly, and looked up to see the head thug from before standing over the woman, pointing his gun at her.

 

“I said gimme your fucking kid, bitch!”

 

“No please!” The woman screeched.

 

And Tim was already moving back towards them. “Take me instead, please!”

 

He knew what the thug wanted the little girl for. It was common knowledge that as far as the Bats went, the Red Hood was the most brutal and merciless of the bunch. Jason rarely killed these days, but every know and then he was known to snap and fall off the wagon. And while Tim would do his best to understand Jason’s motives, the people of Gotham (and Bruce himself) were not as sympathetic. So by all accounts, the thug was likely terrified and scared for his life, and knew that taking a child as a hostage would be his best bet of protecting himself from Jason’s wrath.

 

Tim wasn’t going to let that little girl become a bargaining chip.

 

“And what would I want from you, rich boy?” The thug sneered, albeit while looking scared at the same time. While gunfire continued to echo through the halls of the bank, it was dying down, meaning that Jason would soon be there.

 

His mind whizzing, Tim held his hands up in surrender. “You’ll get a big ransom from my family if you take me.” When the thug didn’t budge, Tim turned to pleading. “Just… don’t take her, please.” He took another few steps forward, so that he was now right next to the other man.

 

The criminal glanced back and forth between Tim and the now openly sobbing mother, obviously undecided. However, his decision was made when Jason, looking scary as hell as the Red Hood, appeared out of seemingly nowhere. The last remaining thug was quick to react, and held his gun to Tim’s temple while grabbing him to use as a meatshield.

 

“Not another step, Hood,” he sneered, the terror in his voice only barely coming through.

 

Jason did pause, for only a second at least, before drawing his own gun. “You think I care about some random rich boy?”

 

His voice sounded metallic coming through the helmet, and even though Tim knew he was bullshitting it was still eerie to hear. Tim could feel all the eyes of the hostages on them, and could even see a few phones being held up to film the situation. Still, he looked Jason straight in the eye (helmet, really), and winked, in a sign that he was fine and not worried in the slightest.

 

Because really, the Gotham criminals should’ve worked out by now that the strategy of holding a hostage at gunpoint was basically useless. Bruce had always made it a priority for any Bat to be able to negotiate a hostage crisis, and even now Tim knew that the training was running through Jason’s brain. However, he didn’t want to leave it all to the other man, and so Tim roughly jerked his head back, so that he struck the thug straight in the nose.

 

The man swore loudly, but Jason was already using it as a distraction to get a shot off, and the thug’s gun fell uselessly to the ground as he clutched at his wrist, where a bullet hole was now blossoming. Jason followed it up by leaping across the room and pistol whipping the man in the temple, causing him to slump and fall to the ground.

 

And then the room was erupting into fucking applause, the immediate threat of danger now gone. Tim wasn’t concentrating on it, because Jason was right there next to him, with a gloved hand cupping at his cheek.

 

“You okay?”

 

Tim just nodded, even though his head was still pounding from where he’d been hit it on the floor earlier. He was aware of a cut on his forehead bleeding, and his jaw ached from the punch he’d received. Altogether, he’d gotten off lightly compared to a typical night on patrol.

 

“Yeah, thanks Mr. Hood,” he replied, trying to think and speak how Timothy Drake Wayne would.

 

***

 

The next day, the front page of the Gotham Gazette was covered by two pictures. In the first, Tim was standing in front of the helpless woman and her daughter, his face serious as he was held at gunpoint. Bruce had huffed at that, but Tim could see the small grin of pride on his face.

 

The second was more troubling, because someone had captured the moment of the Red Hood stroking his cheek and Tim smiling kindly back at him.

 

Bruce had not liked that one at all.

 

***

 

“I honestly don’t get how the press can be so effective and so fucking dumb at the same time.”

 

Tim just grinned lazily at Jason, all the while doing his best not to burn the eggs he was frying. In the past few months, he’d been attempting to branch out and try cooking for himself. And while he’d had mixed results at best (Jason would never let him live down the disaster that was his curry), eggs were one of the few things he was more than competent at, and he was determined not to ruin it now.

 

He’d already read through the article, of course, while Jason had been in the shower. And the other man was right. Almost all media outlets had settled on the story that Tim was fucking both the mystery boytoy and the ruthless Red Hood, along with countless more men and women. One trashy magazine had even gone so far as to suggest that perhaps the Red Hood might target the competition for Tim’s heart if things escalated. And while it was completely absurd and hilarious at the same time, Tim was glad that no one had seemed to make the connection that perhaps Jason and the Red Hood were in fact the same person.

 

“You do realise how lucky you are, right,” he replied, knowing that he sounded an awful lot like Bruce. They’d both been lectured by him on the importance of not associating with the civilian identity’s of other Bats, and while Tim did agree, he couldn’t be too mad at Jason.

 

Because even now as Jason scoffed and rolled his eyes at Tim’s words, Tim knew the reason for him showing affection during the bank robbery. That, for all the time Jason gave towards putting on a tough persona as the Red Hood, he had been worried about Tim.

 

And that made Tim’s heart flutter, even if his inner Bat was more than ruffled.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, kudos, comments and recommendations are always greatly appreciated!


End file.
